ShareThisBy MIKE MEYERS
Tuesday, November 21, 2006
Fretting over utility bills? A growing number of companies are looking to transform your worries into their profits.
From magnetic lids that cover vents to seal off drafts, to meters that can measure how much electricity a given appliance is pulling out of the wall, homeowners can turn to a number of tools, many of them at a price less than the cost of a restaurant dinner, to fight rising energy bills.
Experts caution, though, that not every device that promises energy savings actually delivers.
"It's still 'buyer beware,'" said Jimmy Sparks, residential energy program manager at Neighborhood Energy Connection, a nonprofit organization that aims to reduce energy waste. "There are a lot of claims of savings from these improvements but no documentation of savings."
Some products, though, look like clear winners to the experts.
Almost everyone agrees that swapping out incandescent bulbs for fluorescent substitutes is an economical choice. The technology of fluorescents has improved the quality of their light, and the price of the bulbs has plunged, they say.
A compact fluorescent bulb may cost less than $4. That bulb can replace a 100-watt conventional light bulb that burns four times as much power. The energy saving means the replacement bulb _ some of which are guaranteed to last nearly a decade _ typically pays for itself in about a year.
Other products that get good reviews: Caps to close off heater or fireplace vents to cold outside air, and tarps, bags and boxes that seal attic staircases _ often an overlooked opening in a home insulation system. Many caps cost less than $10 or $20; most attic staircase covers sell for less than $75.
Many energy-savings experts also recommend that homeowners buy a simple device that measures how much electricity is being drawn by a home appliance, whether a living-room lamp or a freezer in the basement.
"You can't manage something unless you measure it," said Ralph Dickinson, Xcel Energy product developer.
Kill-a-Watt, a plug-in-monitor that is placed between a wall outlet and the appliance being checked for power consumption, sells for less than $30.
"By itself it doesn't save you any energy, but the information may help you do something about energy issues you find," he said.
One glaring problem may be an old washer and dryer. While the older models often are rugged enough to last for decades, they also can suck up far more energy than newer models.
"Typically, with a family of four, you'll get one-year payback" by investing in a new, energy-efficient washer or dryer, said Helen Perrine, executive director of Affordable Comfort, an energy consulting company in Waynesburg, Pa.
Perrine is less enthusiastic about magnetic covers to seal air vents in unused rooms.
"Shutting off rooms can change the way air moves in a house," she said. "You may be making a situation worse rather than better."
The same goes for tiny fans placed over vents _ or in the corner frames of doorways _ to turbocharge the rate of airflow from a furnace or air-conditioning system or to push hot or cool air from one room to the next.
"Fans probably won't save energy but probably will increase comfort," she said.
For those looking to go whole hog, a household energy audit sometimes can turn up substantial savings.
Xcel Energy customers pay a subsidized rate of $35 to $100 for a top-to-bottom household search for wasted energy, said Sparks, whose organization does energy audits. The potential savings: as much as $500 to $600 a year.
